What causes acne?

What causes acne?

Rebecca Fitzgerald (Dermatologist) gives expert video advice on: Does my diet affect my acne?; What can I do to prevent acne scars?; How can I prevent acne? and more...

What causes acne is plugged up hair follicles. Acne is not caused by your diet. It's not caused from not washing your face. Those things can certainly excacerbate acne, but it is not the cause of acne. Acne is actually genetic and it is governed by hormones. So, there are certain times in life where we see sort of an adolescent blip of acne. That adolescent blip of acne is something seen mostly in males. In women, we get acne from a couple of years before we start our period until a couple of years after we stop. So acne is a life long disease in women at every age, and I see this every day.